Ho'omana - Hawaiian Gods

Written by Gayle Olson

Many examples of land and its creatures represented gods, or akua to Hawaiian. The tree, plants, stones, animals, and human beings were just a few examples, each akua had a special name with certain attributes.

The four great gods of Polynesian system were Ku, Kane, Kanaloa, and Lono; each possessing particular powers and duties.

Ku - architect and builder

Ku was great god presiding over war. Human sacrifices were made to him in temples built to honor Ku. His worship days, four in succession, occurred at start of moon month. The temples of Ku were built to certain specifications and presided over by a distinct cult of priests.

Kane - creator and giver of life

With aid of Lono, Kane created man. Kane created forests and brought certain rains and life to land. Kane was healer who resided in many of healing plants. He had his own temples and priests. Depending on attributes or purposes, Kane was known by many names.

Lono - god of agriculture and peace

Lono may have been most beloved of great gods. His presence was seen in rain clouds and in growing things. The householder dedicated his family worship, making daily offerings to Lono. The farmer would dedicate his first fruits to Lono.

Four Major Steps Toward Building an Awesome Music Ministry

Written by By John Pape Jr.

The inspiration for this article comes from an Old Testament story. In this story there is a special building project undertaken by Solomon. The four stages explained in this article are exact same steps illustrated in this story. You will find that these four concepts will dramatically help you in your music ministry. You need to take this information and start creating an overwhelming positive worship experience in your church's worship service.

This is where we begin - One day as I was reading Bible I came across and amazing scripture. Solomon's temple was completed and priests were ministering and then God's glory filled temple. The awe and reverence caused everyone to stop and let God inhabit worship.

Looking back I realized that there was a lot of hard work and preparation that needed to happen. The nation Israel needed to come together and build temple. It all started with a vision from David. He desired to build a temple that was worthy for God. But, he could not because he shed too much blood in his lifetime. The torch was past on to his son Solomon.

Then I noticed that there was a distinct pattern regarding various stages of project. And pattern fits no matter what kind of building project you start. I want to show you how it applies to your music ministry.

The metaphor of building a house is appropriate in fact that it gives you a visual model to help understand how to build your music ministry. And you can apply this basic principle to make vast improvements in way you minister to people you serve.

With all this in mind let us look at four major steps toward building an awesome music ministry.

There are basically four major milestones whenever a building project is undertaken. These four milestones insure success of project. You can take these proven principles and apply them to your ministry.

Here are four major areas..

1) Have a Blueprint to guide your course.

You need to know and understand final outcome. You need to determine real purpose and goal for doing what you do. A blueprint will help guide and direct your path. The benefit of doing this is you will be able to predict outcome with a great deal of accuracy. You will have a roadmap and compass that will guide you though process. You will be able to make adjustments to way you are doing things now.

2) Build on a Solid Foundation

Obviously, a solid foundation is perhaps most important aspect of a building. As a Christian you must stand on a good foundation. You need a relationship with God that is built on truth. And you need to nurture that relationship. A Solid Foundation insures that you get off to a positive start. A weak foundation can only end up in ruin.